Boynton Intersection To Warrant Full Signal

September 30, 1990|By Fred Lowery, Staff Writer

The activity at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Jog Road, where crews are working at what is beginning to resemble four corners, is a real sign of things to come, said Charles Cantrell of Palm Beach County`s Traffic Division.

The people you see there this week are installing poles in preparation for putting in a new set of signals, he explained, even though Boynton Beach Boulevard and Jog is not a full intersection.

Not yet, that is. Cantrell said the signal installation is being timed to coincide with the opening of a newly constructed section of Jog Road, which is scheduled to be cut through soon.

While the signal will be activated first as a flasher, Cantrell said engineers expect traffic volume to warrant a full signal almost from the start. ``We will be there taking counts within a week after it opens,`` Cantrell said.

-- Motorists on 10th Avenue North through Greenacres City will notice some real differences in the next few days, said Palm Beach County Construction Coordinator Carl Miller.

Ongoing widening of 10th Avenue from Military Trail to Jog Road is reaching two milestones, Miller said.

First, the five-laned section from Jog Road to Haverhill Road is complete except for the final layer of asphalt, cleanup and striping, Miller said.

Second, crews are getting ready to switch traffic to the nearly completed north side of the road, Miller said, and begin work on the south side between Military Trail and Haverhill.

Even though the road appears closer to completion than before, he advised motorists to continue using caution in the area.

-- Construction will begin in about two weeks on Lake Worth Road from Florida`s Turnpike to State Road 7, Miller said. Drivers will not notice a difference during the initial phase of construction of what will be a six- lane highway, Miller said. The first phase will involve clearing of the right-of-way and installation of drainage lines along the present two-lane road.

-- Meanwhile, the conversion of the signals at 10th Avenue and Davis Road (just east of the project) to a new system and the installation of pedestrian signals was completed last week, Cantrell said.

-- Emergency signals will be installed this week, Cantrell said, with the turn-on scheduled west of Boynton Beach at Fire Station 55 and Woolbright Road.

In the Delray Beach area, a new signal will start up this week at Fire Station 52 on Hagen Ranch Road, and, Cantrell said, another signal will be turned on at North Palmetto Circle and Fire Station 55 west of Boca Raton.

-- Boca Raton motorists who use the infamous ``Palmetto Pretzel`` better plan alternate routes, cautions Palm Beach County Construction Coordinator Carl Miller. The going is about to get worse, he said.

Widening of Palmetto Park Road from the east side of Interstate 95 through the Pretzel to Southwest 10th Avenue is scheduled to start in two weeks, Miller said.

The Pretzel, a network of main roads, access roads and parallel service roads, got its name years ago because of its confusing layout.

The new design will feature a Palmetto Park Road one lane wider in each direction with fewer confusing entries and outlets.

Once work begins, said George Price of Miller`s office, drivers will not notice an immediate difference. The initial work will be involve filling in the drainage canal along the south side of Palmetto Park and installing large drainage pipes in its place. After that, Miller says, look out.

``It is going to be a really congested area,`` he said. ``If people will try to take alternate routes whenever they can, it will help up get done sooner.``

-- West of Boca Raton, Lyons and Clint Moore Roads are also the scene of more work, said Miller. The newly widened Lyons north of Kimberly Boulevard, and the newly widened Clint Moore Road from Lyons to State Road 7 are complete, except for a final layer of asphalt, Miller said. ``Those roads are about two weeks away from being complete, except for the striping,`` he said.

Traffic Watch is a regular feature of the Sun-Sentinel. It you have a problem in the area where you drive, or know a shortcut, let us know about it. Write: Traffic Watch, Sun-Sentinel; 324 Datura St., Suite 150; West Palm Beach, Fla. 33405. Please include the name of your neighborhood or development.